10 



THE BOOK OF THE ROSE 



CHAP. 



have been issued, with prettily shaped rosette-like 

 flowers, one of the best of which is Little Gem (W. Paul 

 and Son, 1880). 



The Double Yellow Rose (R. sulphurea) is considered 

 by some to be a form of the Provence. Fifty or sixty 

 years ago, this was the best yellow Rose, if it could 

 be got to bloom ; but its " manners and customs " were 

 so very bad, and the blooms so generally malformed 

 or refusing to open at all, that it was pretty nearly 

 given up as hopeless, even before Cloth of Gold appeared 

 on the scene. 



The Damask Rose (R. damascena) and The French 

 Rose (R. gallica) are placed under one heading in 

 the N.R.S. Catalogue, and indeed it seems rather 

 doubtful to which of these two sections some of the old 

 Roses belonged. These are the old pink, red, and 

 striped Roses of our gardens, both groups having been 

 introduced into this country at least three hundred 

 years. The three old-fashioned striped Roses, each of 

 which has been called York and Lancaster, are Rosa 

 Mundi (French), which is red striped with white, and 

 occasionally self red ; Village Maid (French), which is 

 white striped with red ; and the true York and Lan- 

 caster, which is either (sometimes all on one bush) 

 red, white, red striped with white, or white striped 

 with red, a truly handy bush for a Vicar of Bray in the 

 Wars of the Roses. 



The Damask and French Roses are not very strong 

 growers, producing short-jointed wood and large, showy, 

 open flowers. They succeed as standards, but were 

 generally grown in the bush form. Fairly close 

 pruning is required, with care as to the shape, that 

 the blooms be regularly placed upon the plant. 



The flowers of the French Rose are but slightly 



